Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Chapter 8Sticky Romantic Situations in the OfficeYour boss tells you how attractive you look. You notice two coworkerstalking intimately in the coffee shop. You spot your deputy assistantstaring at you. Today’s workplace is ripe for sticky situationsbetween the sexes. Now that we no longer have a male-dominatedworkforce, we run into new questions and dilemmas all the time. Perhapsthe questions are not so new, but they have taken a new turn. Fifteento twenty years ago, office romance of any kind was consideredtaboo. Today, however, according to Bixler and Dugan, there aremore office romances than in any other environment. They say officeromances are as common as laptops. 1What differences exist from the work environment of our parents tothe work environment of today? According to the Bureau of LaborStatistics, there are more women in the workplace than ever. ‘‘Women’slabor force participation rates have increased significantly overthe past 50 years, narrowing the gap between rates for women andmen.’’ 2Furthermore people are more sensitive to the issue of sexual harassmenttodaythaninthepast.Asillustratedinthepopulartelevisionseries Mad Men, years ago a woman who might have felt harassed